Digital Fallout
by TottWriter
Summary: Their foes were bested. The battle was won. But in the wake of their victories, the first signs began to emerge that there would be no going back to how things had been before. Just how far would the fallout spread?
1. Prologue: Victory

**A.N.: Okay, I'll be honest. I possibly shouldn't be posting this yet. I am nowhere near finishing part one, and honestly, I haven't even entirely settled on whether to make it a long section or a short one - the real meat of the story doesn't begin until Part Two. But you know what? I feel like this is one of those fics which, unless I properly start it, will just sit and lurk in the back of my mind, while I tinker away at the middle and neglect the beginning (As I have thus far).**

 **This will be an inter-season crossover fic eventually** **, but part one will only feature the cast of Adventure and 02 (and I am super excited to see more of Tri because it will fit really well into this fic further down the line). The main reason for my delay in getting it up on the site is that I didn't originally intend to start here. So Part One is probably the least fleshed out section of the whole thing, and this is where a lot of the delays in writing will take place. Until I come back and edit this author's note (which I absolutely will once I either hit Part Two or find my stride!) you can probably expect this to not update very often - I'm still thrashing out how to transition into Part Two. So consider this a sort of "marking my place" fic. It will run in the background to Hope's Fire and Metanoia, but I very much want to get started on it, because it's probably bigger than the pair of them together.**

 **Essentially, what I am saying is "Watch This Space". Also: Let me know what you think! This is my most ambitious fanfic so far, and as I get into it I will be eager to see what people think. Feedback as to whether you would prefer longer or shorter sections for Part One would also be very much appreciated!**

* * *

 _Part One_

 ** _Adventure's End_**

 _Prologue_

* * *

 _31st December, 2002_

For just a few short minutes, Taichi let himself bask in the victory. It was second hand really, but he'd still been there. Still done his part. Evil was vanquished once more, and the second generation of Chosen Children celebrating in the canyon below was just too good a scene to pass up. After spontaneously hugging Catherine and some random American blond kid (seriously, who had time for introductions now?) he pelted down to join the others, half aware of the countless other children all doing much the same things. The Digital World wasn't in the best shape, sure, but at least it hadn't been totally destroyed again. That was always a bonus. It would recover, with time.

Amid the slightly euphoric rush which always seemed to accompany a triumph over evil, someone noticed Iori over by the hole into the other world. That kid was something else, for sure. Taichi hadn't even realised Oikawa was still in the place, and yet Iori had gone to make sure he was okay. Although, it was a bit of a shock to see the smallest of the Chosen Children helping the man who was responsible for half of this mess in the first place. He looked different though. Healthier, somehow, even if it seemed he was no longer able to stand.

Taichi stood back with the others as Hikari and the rest of the second generation ran over, followed by Gennai. This was their business, after all. And if Iori believed that this Oikawa guy deserved a chance, who was he to disagree? Something wasn't quite right though. They were stood talking, but none of them were moving. And then, just after a little green digimon appeared, Oikawa seemed to shimmer and glow, and dispersed into a cloud of glittering light that flowed out into the Digital world. It shimmered and became a flock of butterflies, flying out across the sky. All around them, colour and life bloomed.

The explanation was sad, but Taichi privately felt that it was probably the best outcome. Oikawa got to be part of the Digital world, after all - and how could he have gone on living after that, knowing what he had done, and how close he had come to destroying worlds? Ken had struggled enough with the aftermath of being the Digimon Kaiser and he had family, and friends who looked out for him. By the sounds of it, all Oikawa had was grief and loneliness.

No, the day was good. The loose ends were tied off, and as they walked out of the canyon into green fields, they could all see that the Digital world had never looked better. Taichi knelt down and hugged Agumon again, just because he could. Everyone seemed to be hugging someone, after all, or smiling, or talking excitedly to new friends. He even bothered to learn the blond kid's name, although admittedly that was only because he turned out to be Mimi's friend Michael.

And then…Koushiro happened.

"Errr, Gennai, I'll admit that I'm somewhat reluctant to bring the subject up, but how are we all getting home?"


	2. Chapter 1 - Aftermath

**A.N.: Chapter one arrives!**

 **Honestly, the logical (and logistical) problems raised by some of the events in the various Digimon series have always intrigued me. There are so many questions left unanswered, and so many things glossed over which, realistically, would be hard to ignore. I can't promise to come up with an answer to everything in this fic - there's a plot which needs to happen, and that really does need to be the priority here - but I cannot resist exploring at least a few things as I go. Hopefully in a good way, so let me know what you think!**

* * *

 _Part One_

 ** _Adventure's End_**

 _Chapter One: Aftermath_

* * *

Silence met Koushiro's words, and he suddenly felt the eyes of more than a hundred Chosen Children upon him - some worried, some surprised, and more than a few annoyed. No one wanted to interrupt the celebrations - and the Odaiba Chosen in particular were all too aware that this could be the last time they saw their partners for years.

"I'll be honest, I hadn't really expected _all_ of you to come here at once," Gennai said. "But it shouldn't be a problem to open gates to the places you came from, as long as there's a computer somewhere nearby. It might take a while to get everything organised, but with your help, Koushiro, we should manage it smoothly."

"And what happens after we go back?" Taichi asked, letting a hand rest on Agumon's head. "Will it be like before?"

It wasn't until Gennai smiled that anyone relaxed.

"Well, things are certainly very different this time," he said. "When you defeated Apocalymon, the Digital world still needed time to reform. It was too risky to keep a gateway open - who knows what could have leaked in, and weakened or damaged the world as it returned to normal. And of course, then my companions and I needed to remove the evidence of the Digital world from the governments of your world. Were it not for Oikawa, I might have to say the same this time, but as it is, the Digital world is whole and healthy. There is no need to keep it contained in the same way - although, I cannot keep every gate open at once. They will need to be opened manually with your digivices."

"But only the newer digivices can open a gate," Mimi said. "What about the rest of us?"

Gennai frowned in concentration. "Well, that's a bit of a tricky one, certainly. But I see no reason why the gates can't be reconfigured to work with both kinds of digivice. In the mean time, I'll see to it that each gate opens a few times a month so that you can come and go. For now, when you return, think carefully about whether your partners will go back with you - whichever choice you'll make, you'll be stuck with it for at least a week or two. I'm afraid there will be no Imperialdramon to fly around the world and open up a gate for you."

Daisuke hugged his partner, turning to see Ken do the same. There was no denying that it had been fun to fly all around the world. But if losing that ability was the only price they had to pay for saving the world, it _had_ to be worth it. And who was to say what the future would bring? There was always the chance that they'd be able to jogress again some day. Daisuke kept the thought to himself, though. After all, to be able to jogress, that would have to mean the world was in danger again. There was no way he was wishing for _that_.

* * *

It was late by the time the last gate closed. Koushiro rubbed his eyes, and absently reached for the cup of tea he had been drinking, only to find that it was already empty. Shaking his head, he put it down and leant back.

"They're home," he said. "All of them. We had a few close calls, but so far everyone managed to find a cover story, too."

"I think you'd better get some sleep now, Koushiro," Tentomon said. "You've been sat there for hours. Even your parents fell asleep a while ago, and they asked me to make sure you got plenty of rest as well. They were very worried about you."

Koushiro sighed. "Well, it's all over now," he said. "Or, the dangerous part is, at least. We've still got a lot of work to do."

In so much as it was _possible_ for Tentomon to frown with confusion, he did. Somehow, Koushiro could always tell the difference. He sighed.

"There's still the matter of the fact that the only people who can open a gate to the digital world live here in Japan. If the digital world is going to remain accessible, as Gennai said - and it will have to, considering that most of the Chosen Children took their partners with them when they went home - then we're going to have to find a way for the others to open a gate when they need to. Not to mention, the sheer number of Chosen is going to make the cover up a lot harder this time. At least before, we didn't have to worry about digimon still roaming around while Gennai and his counterparts removed the evidence. That made it a lot easier for people to forget, or push it to the backs of their minds. With the number of digimon currently running around… I can foresee a lot of potential problems."

"Are you saying that you think we should go back to the digital world?" Tentomon asked.

"Of course not! We're partners, Tentomon, and I certainly wouldn't wish for us to be separated again given any choice. I'm merely making an observation that the situation is likely to be more complicated than the others are anticipating. Keeping the digital world a secret from the world's governments is going to be a difficult task. But Gennai and I agree that announcing its existence publicly is a bad idea. I think it's going to be a rather busy new year."

Tentomon tilted his head to one side. "All the more reason to make sure you have a good night's rest then, wouldn't you say?"

Koushiro gave him a tired grin, and powered down his computer. "Well, you've got me there."

* * *

To start with, Mimi had insisted on staying in the digital world until the end - as one of the original Chosen, surely she had earnt the right to spend some time with her friends? She lasted past their loud and long celebrations, and stubbornly refused to go home when Koushiro and Gennai started opening gates for those Chosen who needed to get home quickly. The first few waves had been sent safely back with their partners before she began to nod, and had to sit on the grass next to Palmon, leaning against her partner to conceal how tired she was.

"Look, Mimi," Koushiro had said at last. "It's getting on for four in the morning in America. I think you should go home and sleep."

If it had been just Koushiro saying it, she would have argued - despite the fact that she could barely keep her eyes open. But of course, it wasn't just Koushiro. Sora was giving her that concerned, motherly look, and the others all had variations on the same theme.

"Oh, all _right_ ," she had said, between yawns. "But come get me soon. I can't open a gate on my own."

And then she had tumbled back into her very own bedroom - Koushiro had taught her how to stop the computer from sending itself to sleep the first time she'd accessed the digital world from America. She clambered into bed with Palmon without even bothering to get undressed.

Morning had come and gone by the time she opened her eyes again. Palmon was still there though, like something out of a dream.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" her partner cried, hopping up and down. "It's a new day, and we won! You saved the digital world again!"

Mimi smiled. "Well, the others did more than us, this time," she said. "But…you're right. It does feel pretty good!"

She threw back the covers, and laughed to see her clothes from the night before. "I'd better get dressed before I go downstairs. My parents will wonder what on Earth I've been doing." She sighed. "I'm not sure they really _understand_ the digital world."

Palmon stared at her, arms folded. "You're telling me."

"We'd better come up with an excuse then. I can't exactly tell them I was out saving the world last night. And, I guess this means I can't introduce them to you?"

"I don't know, Mimi. I think Koushiro wanted us to lie low until he and Gennai worked things out, at least."

"Hrrrm." That called for a plan then. Mimi looked around, eyes eventually landing on the closet. "Well, maybe I can make up a camp bed for you in there," she said. "You won't have to stay there all the time, just when my parents come in. Until we work something out. I really will have to get the others to sort this out though. You just don't fit in among my toys any more, Palmon."

Palmon looked around the room they had spent the last few days sharing. It was true enough. Mimi hadn't outgrown the large collection of soft toys she'd had in Japan, but the newer additions tended to be smaller and more glittery. She had several potted plants in the room, but the thing about those was that they were, naturally, in _pots_. With the start of term approaching, unless Koushiro and Gennai worked out a way to let Mimi open a gate to the digital world soon, they were likely to run into difficulties.

"Well, we'll work it out later. For now, I'm going to go fetch something to eat," Mimi said. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

She trotted down the stairs, peering around the corner into the dining area before walking in. Her parents were sat at the table, eating lunch and watching the news.

 _~…global event which plunged the world into darkness for a few minutes around 3am Eastern time. So far, no weather experts have been able to put forward a theory for the strange occurrence, although some are speculating that there is a connection to the Christmas monster sightings…~_

She cleared her throat. "Morning! Or, well, afternoon!"

"Mimi!," her mother cried. "You slept so late! Are you sick, sweetie?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine!" Mimi said, thinking fast. "I just… you know, wanted to make sure I was awake enough to stay up for New Year tonight, so I got a bit extra sleep. A girl needs her beauty rest, after all!"

It took her a little longer than she would have preferred to satisfy her parents curiosity. They seemed rather concerned about the mysterious blackout of the night before - especially as they'd apparently caught a glimpse of Lilymon on Christmas eve. She couldn't wait for the point at which it all started to fade from their memories again. After all, it had worked out like that last time, hadn't it? After a while, everything had just gone back to normal. She'd got the memo about that, too. How Gennai and the others had gone through and removed all the information about the digital world. Life would certainly be a lot easier once it had all blown over. And this time would be so much better, because they had promised that she could keep seeing Palmon as often as she liked.

Sneaking food to her room for Palmon was another problem. It had certainly been a lot easier during those few days she'd hidden her partner in their Tokyo apartment. Concealing food on the rather longer walk she had in their American home was more problematic. She kept waiting for her mother to ask why she was carrying a beach bag around with her everywhere. Or to question her as to where all the snacks were going. It was a blessing it _had_ been Christmas, really. The house was packed with food left over from the festivities.

"I tell you, Koushiro and Gennai had better find a solution soon," she said, as they sat on her bed together once more. "It's one thing to hide you here for a few days, but quite another to have to hide you here all the time."

Palmon nodded. "Plus, it's more fun when we can go for picnics together, instead of being inside all the time. I miss sinking my roots into the dirt."

Mimi frowned. "You know, that actually gives me an idea," she said, looking at the potted plant on her window. "Maybe we can find a way to hide you in plain sight!"

She clapped her hands delightedly. "Yes! That's it! I'll go buy a really big pot, and if we put some dirt in it you can stand there when they come in. You can wash the dirt off in my bathroom without them ever knowing!"

Grinning, she picked Palmon up and danced in a circle with her partner around the bedroom floor. Things were going to be so much fun now that she could see her partner all the time. Life just couldn't be better.


	3. Chapter 2 - Consequences

**A.N.: Chapter Two Get! I've been plugging away at this in the background (and will continue to do so) but as yet there is still no regular update schedule for this fic. It's not forgotten though, and I shall endeavour to make my progress a bit clearer on the progress section of my profile if people are interested.**

* * *

 _Part One_

 ** _Adventure's End_**

 _Chapter Two: Consequences_

* * *

Not long after Mimi returned through the gate, Sora cleared her throat.

"I think we should head home," she said, hugging Piyomon closely. "The evening is getting on, and our parents will be worrying. We're luckier than the others, too. It's a lot easier for us to come back here, because there are so many of us with D3s."

The older children, Takeru, and Hikari all nodded, as did Ken and Iori. Daisuke, Miyako, and the dark seed children looked more than a little worried. Sora guessed it was because their families hadn't known what was going on. No doubt they were worried what sort of reception would be waiting for them.

"Gennai, are we going back to the camp?" she asked, as the others began the process of saying goodbye to new friends from around the world. She noted with amusement that Miyako had found the Russian Chosen and was trying to mime her way through a conversation with them.

He nodded in reply. "I believe that would be the simplest solution, as your parents are awaiting you there. Although Koushiro, I would appreciate your assistance once you return. We have a lot of gates to sort through around the world, as you can see."

Koushiro nodded. "I'd been thinking the same thing," he said. "As we came here without computers, it's going to be a lot more challenging to get everyone safely home again without arousing suspicion."

"Difficult, but not impossible," Gennai said, nodding, as the others gathered around. "Now, you may with to hold on tight - this could get a little bumpy."

Sora clung tightly to Piyomon, and held Noriko's hand with the other. The girl looked up at her nervously.

"Nothing to be afraid of," Sora said. "It'll be just like it was before."

The others drew closer, clinging to partners and each other.

"What I wouldn't give for a trolley car about now," Taichi said, grinning. "Then again, that was a bit more final than this."

"Yeah, I'll take a bumpy landing over that any day," Yamato replied. "Just don't land on _me_."

If Taichi had been about to reply, they never knew, because the next moment the digital world had vanished, and they were tumbling over each other onto the ground at the shrine. Parents raced over to help them untangle themselves.

Her mother and father hung back, as did most of the families of the older children, allowing the second generation families to reunite first. As soon as she had extracted herself she ran over to them.

"We didn't doubt you for a second," her mother said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Nearby, other reunions were taking place - each a variation on the same theme, although Daisuke, Miyako, and even Iori had quite a bit of explaining to do.

Miyako was the centre of a cluster of relatives, who were bombarding her with questions. She clung to Poromon, casting envious glances towards where Iori was stood, calmly explaining things to his mother and grandfather.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me?" came Jun's voice, loud and clear. Subtly or otherwise, everyone turned to watch the exchange.

"Coz you're the worst person I know at keeping secrets is why," Daisuke replied.

"How long have you been mixed up in all this?" his mother asked.

Dasiuke grimaced slightly. "Umm, it kinda started back in April. That's when I met Chibimon here."

Chibimon nodded. "And we've been best buddies ever since!"

Jun gaped. "Oh my god, you're that little blue toy Daisuke's been carrying everywhere!"

This time Daisuke just grinned as his parents stared at him, agape. "Yeah, he's kinda been living with us for a while."

"But he's so cute!" Jun cried, pressing her hands to either side of her face.

"Urgh. Forget what I said earlier. _This_ is why I didn't tell you."

* * *

 _January 2003_

Life was terrible.

Naturally, that was an exaggeration and Jou knew it, but he rather felt that he deserved to wallow for the time being. Everyone else was happy and jubilant - basking in the fact that they'd saved the world. By rights, he should be doing the same. And yet, while he wanted nothing more than to be happy about their victory, instead he had locked himself in his bedroom with only Gomamon for company, because the trouble with saving the world was that it had caused him to miss a fair amount of studying time, and he was behind with his classwork.

That was bad enough, but it was a manageable situation as long as he focused on his studies for a while. He'd caught up before - he could do it again. What was not a manageable situation was his father's attitude to the whole thing.

 _You'd think he'd at least be grateful that the world isn't covered in permanent darkness_ , Jou thought bitterly. _But no, he has to act as though it was all a set-up to personally inconvenience him and his reputation. He's done nothing but mutter and complain, these last few days._

He sighed, and pushed his textbook away. There was no point studying in this frame of mind. He knew from experience he wouldn't be able to focus.

"Hey, Gomamon," he said, looking over at his partner. "Should I check and see if the gate's open?"

Gomamon looked up, his expression brightening considerably. Long days stuck with nowhere much to go were taking a toll on his partner's mood. Jou smiled a stroll through the digital world would be good for _both_ of them.

His hopes were dashed a moment later. The gate blinked stubbornly red at him - apparently the open zone had moved along from Japan, because the nearest available access point was somewhere in the middle of China.

"It's okay," Gomamon said. "I'm sure we'll remember in time tomorrow - and Koushiro's working on that update for your digivice, isn't he?"

"He's working on _something_ ," Jou said, walking over to the bed. He flopped down beside his partner. "But it's anyone's guess whether or not it'll work."

They lay together in silence for a few minutes. It was a comfort, at least, to know that he would always have Gomamon around.

Someone in the living room laughed loudly. Jou side-eyed his bedroom door, frowning, and got up. It wasn't so much that he thought his father _incapable_ of finding something funny enough to laugh, but it was a sound the man seldom made. He had _also_ made a point of telling Jou to keep quiet and out of the way that evening, because he had an important meeting at home.

Jou's hand hovered over the door handle. Would it be attracting too much attention to open the door and peek?

"Well, I don't see why the sum should be set at this point in time," said an unfamiliar voice.

Jou pulled his hand back, and leant closer to the wood of the door. That didn't sound like any of his father's colleagues.

"We can see how the ratings go," the voice went on. "But I see no reason why it shouldn't be a success. Obviously production times will hamper the topicality, but we can get some advance material out to keep the public interested."

"Of course. Although, it is a shame that we couldn't reach this agreement sooner," Jou's father said. He sounded wistful.

The other man laughed. "I'll be honest, Dr. Kido, if it had been up to me, we'd have bought up the rights the first time you floated the idea. The story is really quite fascinating. Unfortunately, there were a few dissenters at the studio. I don't know if you've met Mr. Ishida?"

Jou flinched, almost knocking into the door. What on earth was going on? He turned to stare at Gomamon, who hopped off the bed and crept over to listen with him.

"I can't say I recognise the name," they heard his father say.

"No? Interesting, interesting," the other man replied. "Well, it turns out he's the father of one of your son's friends. It certainly explains a lot. He's been a bit of a thorn in my side for years. Blocked every attempt I've made to get to the bottom of these monster attacks. When I floated the idea of this show the first time, he convinced the board that it would never sell. Too outlandish, he said, and disrespectful to pass off terrorist attacks as the work of monsters. But now…let's just say the situation has changed somewhat."

Jou sank to his knees. No. Surely he was misinterpreting the situation? He'd only heard the latter half of the conversation, so he had to be missing some vital context which explained things. He _couldn't_ be listening to his father discuss making some sort of public announcement about the digimon. His father _hated_ talking about this. He'd gone out of his way to ignore Gomamon's existence since Jou had first admitted his connection to the digital world. In the wake of Shuu's decision to give up studying medicine, their father had acted as though the Digital world was out to get him personally.

"Changed? In what way, Mr Hayashi?" Jou's father asked.

A small chuckle from the man. Jou frowned with distaste. Perhaps it was just his already poor opinion of the mysterious Mr. Hayashi, but the laugh sounded like that of a deeply unpleasant person.

"Unfortunately I am not at liberty to disclose all the changes taking place. But rest assured, the information you provided for this venture has been very well received. Now. You mentioned that many of these 'digimon' remain in the world at present? Would it be possible to secure a…shall we call it an interview with one?"

Jou paled, and backed away from the door.

"We have to get out of here," he muttered. "Gomamon, quick!"

He bolted to his desk, and grabbed a piece of paper.

 _~Just popped out for some fresh air. Back later~_ he wrote, and opened the window wide.

"Come on," he said, grabbing his partner and coat. They scrambled through the opening, then reached back inside to snatch his phone and digivice from the desk before pushing the window almost closed again and bolting across the garden. They didn't slow down until they were a few streets away.

"Jou, what was that man talking about?" Gomamon asked.

Jou ground his teeth. "I don't know for sure," he said. "But it sounded a lot like my father was…was _selling_ our story to someone!" He clenched his fist.

"How could he do that?" he cried, when Gomamon said nothing. "We explained - we all explained to him how important this was! And then he goes behind our backs and does _this?_ I…right now, Gomamon, I'm ashamed to be his son!"

He stopped walking, and hung his head, sighing. "And now I have to tell Koushiro that we have a leak, and it's _my_ family. I just hope he'll have some idea of what we can do."

As he tapped out the email, he reflected gloomily on his earlier thoughts. He'd been more right than he had even known. Life was terrible, and there was no reason to suppose it wouldn't get _worse_.

* * *

 **Well would you look at that. A wild plot appeared!**

 **You know, I was super grateful/pleasantly surprised when Ketsui came out, because I had already decided to make Jou's father the requisite Jackass in this fic (I needed _someone_ , and what little we knew about Jou's parents suggested he would be the best fit). That brief scene isn't a lot of characterisation, but it's certainly not the positive, supportive portrayal we get of the other Chosen Children's families. Do I think all parents who pressure their children to succeed academically are out-and-out terrible people who would sell their children's secrets for money? No. Am I going to take advantage of the fact he's the least pleasant of the parents we know of and run with that? ABSOLUTELY.**

 **Also, yes, I know. Short chapter. I will endeavour to make them longer as we get further in, but honestly, this early in it's just kinda...mundane, you know? I don't want to write chapters and chapters of all the different families being introduced/reintroduced to the digimon. This part of the story has always been more a collection of drabbles in my mind. Not for too much longer (in story terms, not update times), I promise.**


End file.
